Navigating & Leading Change in Fintech: A Q&A with Rebecca Hamilton, Senior Change and Delivery Lead at Azupay

In the dynamic world of fintech, staying ahead requires agility, collaboration, and strong leadership. Rebecca Hamilton, Senior Change and Delivery Lead at Azupay, discusses her experiences leading major projects, the challenges of rapid delivery, and the strategies she employs to manage high-pressure situations. Through her insights, we explore the importance of continuous learning, teamwork, and effective change management in driving success at Azupay.

1. Can you share a specific project or initiative at Azupay that you're particularly proud of, and what were the key factors in its success??

When Australia Post Payments (POLi) folded, it posed a fascinating challenge to Azupay. The task was: “Can you transition our account-to-account service with Australia Post to Azupay in just a matter of weeks?” The urgency was driven by government legislation that required a no-surcharge payment option for customers booking travel.?

To add to the pressure, the major airlines presented us with the same challenge at the same time. It felt impossible, but it was an opportunity too valuable for Azupay to pass up. We jumped in, confident that we could make it happen. What followed was an intense period of project implementation, client meetings, and internal brainstorming. I’ve never been prouder to be part of the Azupay team.?

No one fully believed it could be done, but we pulled it off. We developed a solution where the airlines could connect to Azupay’s Payment Request API without needing any backend development on their end to modify how their systems accepted account-to-account payments.??

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2. How do your strengths align with the demands of your role? Which of your strengths do you use the most on a daily basis??

I draw energy from connecting with people daily and observing how diverse perspectives can come together to solve the problem at hand. My reward for working at a company like Azupay is that I get to converse with spirited, pioneering and the most clever of people. Every project becomes a fresh new challenge, and no issue has ever been too big for the Azupay team to tackle.?

Empathy is one of my greatest strengths, helping me understand the difference between what our clients and internal stakeholders think they want and what they truly need. In my everyday conversations, I make sure to note what people require to get the job done or what will help our clients succeed with their customers. I believe in the process of discovery, collaboration, and teamwork, and I know that exploring all viable options with the right people always leads to great outcomes. That process is something I hold in the highest regard.??

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3. What advice would you give to professionals aspiring to advance in change management and delivery roles, especially in an agile industry like fintech??

As a Change and Delivery Lead in a scale-up fintech, my advice to professionals aspiring to advance in change management and delivery roles, especially in agile environments, would be:?

Place continuous learning and improvement above all else: The fintech industry evolves quickly with new technologies, regulations, and customer demands. Stay updated on the latest trends in both the fintech space and the Agile methodologies. Ensure your teams are participating in regular retrospectives to examine what has gone well and what has gone wrong. Actions completed from a team retrospective are one of the most powerful tools to combat teams becoming complacent. Finally, certifications, workshops, and networking events can help you stay ahead of the curve and, above all, make sure you are talking to clients regularly!?

Practice your leadership and influencing skills daily:?When working with agile delivery teams, it is the most effective to work out ways to demonstrate without directly commanding someone to do something. Building trust, being a clear communicator, and demonstrating your ability to navigate and implement change effectively can help establish you as a trusted leader. Inspire teams by showing the value of change and fostering a culture that embraces continuous improvement.?

Foster collaboration and alignment within teams and across teams:?Agile delivery thrives on collaboration across different teams. The most successful delivery professionals understand how to facilitate collaboration between product, tech, operations, and business functions. Always think and strategise on how build bridges and create synergy across once-siloed teams.?

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4. What are the most significant challenges you've faced in leading delivery initiatives at Azupay, and how have you addressed them??

One of my biggest challenges has been keeping pace with our engineering team's rapid delivery of change. It’s crucial to ensure that change management, client communications, and knowledge-sharing activities are executed in parallel and to the high standard our clients expect.?

Often, change management activities are treated as an afterthought, only being considered and implemented at launch, which is far too late. This last-minute scramble often leaves the project team feeling exhausted.?

Finding the right balance in producing quality change collateral quickly, keeping pace with our engineering team’s breakneck speed whilst drawing on a vast library of detailed product content, is something I’m committed to improving at Azupay. My goal is to streamline this process, making our work life a little easier for everyone involved!?

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5. How do you stay motivated and focused during high-pressure projects??

Staying motivated and focused during high-pressure projects comes down to a few key practices that help me navigate the stress and maintain momentum:?

Prioritise tasks on both a daily and weekly basis:?When things get hectic, you can't tackle everything at once without becoming half the person you were. I focus on the key tasks that will add the most value, ensuring we stick to what's crucial. Splitting the work into smaller parts keeps me cool and helps me and the team stay on track. I aim to complete prioritisation assessments daily and then also weekly to ensure we're paying enough attention to the bigger priorities. It's also important to reach out to leaders for help with prioritisation when you start feeling overwhelmed.??

Focus on quick wins:?To keep spirits high, I aim for simple gains and grab the low-hanging fruit—small wins or steps that show the team we're moving forward. These wins build steam and help everyone stay pumped as we push ahead.?

Celebrate achievements:??When we have delivered something awesome, I make a point to acknowledge and celebrate these achievements with the team. It reinforces a sense of accomplishment, boosts morale, and serves as a reminder that we’re making progress, even in the most demanding situations.?

Azupay is a leading Australian Fintech provider of real time, account to account payments for Government, Banks, Billers and Enterprise customers, delivering unique product payments features on Australia's New Payments Platform with PayID & PayTo. While primarily providing solutions to businesses, Azupay also places significant focus on end payer experience, migration and adoption by now delivering out of the box RTP/NPP payments applications that can be quickly integrated by businesses into mobile, online and instore checkout and payment options.

https://www.azupay.com.au/contact-us/